Description

The AMX-13 (FL11) is a Rank III French light tank
with a battle rating of 3.3 (AB/RB/SB). It was introduced in Update 1.75 "La Résistance". It is the first of many iterations of the famous AMX-13. Although this version lacks the punch of its successors, it certainly offers a good foresight of what this light chassis can do.

The AMX-13 (FL11) is the first tank with the distinctive oscillating French turret design, combining it with a low, sleek-profiled chassis - almost identical to 6.0 AMX-13, save for a few small details (e.g. exhaust). The FL11 has a smaller, shorter gun with a double muzzle-break, on a smaller turret that doesn't have the large rear counter-weight/storage and the canvas over the turret joint found on later models.

General info

Survivability and armour

At its BR, this light tank actually has decent armour, especially in the turret front area, where 40 mm sloped at ~60° will defeat some low-caliber guns. Be cautious: although turret frontal armour is good, this does not means you can just go hull down and be safe, it will only provide you a chance to survive a shot and reposition (this tank is great for learning how to use later models of the AMX-13). As for everywhere else (but the UFP), 20 mm of flat armour is all you get, note that the upper front plate is sloped at 67°, which may ricochet long-range shots. With only 10 mm of top armour, seek company from allied AAs since your own armament does not enables you to engage aerial threats.

Mobility

With a power ratio of 26.97 HP/ton in AB, or 15.42 HP/ton in RB (stock!), the AMX-13 chassis offers mobility that leave almost nothing to be desired (reverse speed is kind of slow with only -6 km/h). With its wide tracks, even soft terrain is not that hard to cross. The only thing to consider while driving this light tank is obstacles as they can significantly reduce your speed, thus making you vulnerable and/or less effective. One could make very good use of such a fast and small vehicle by avoiding contact while making a large flanking manoeuvre, scouting enemies and popping out sometimes to take down enemies from unexpected angles.

Mobility characteristic

Weight (tons)

Add-on Armorweight (tons)

Max speed (km/h)

12.1

N/A

41 (AB)

36 (RB/SB)

Engine power (horsepower)

Mode

Stock

Upgraded

Arcade

130

160

Realistic/Simulator

106

120

Power-to-weight ratio (hp/ton)

Mode

Stock

Upgraded

Arcade

10.74

13.22

Realistic/Simulator

8.76

9.92

Armaments

Main armament

The 75 mm SA49 cannon is quite decent at the BR. Its only flaw being a bad firing arc (shell drops fast with distance), which makes long-range engagements inadvisable. Penetration rates are comparable to those of the Russian F-34 cannon or those of the British QF 6-pounder's stock shot. While not being the best gun at the BR, it certainly provides enough firepower to destroy any enemy's flank. Horizontal drive is fast, allowing for fast reaction shots in close range engagements. As for elevation angles, -6° of depression feels a bit lacking while 13° of elevation is clearly the worst thing about this configuration: you cannot engage air targets. One last thing to consider about your main gun: it is mounted on an oscillating turret, which makes stop-and-shoot tactics ineffective. Coaxial armament is the classic French MAC 31 with 100 rounds loaded and ready to turn those soft targets to shreds. A sweet addition to this tank is 4 smoke launchers located on the lower turret part's back, these can be used either to shield you and your allies from incoming fire, to cover your retreat or to hide your team's movements from enemy sight. Smoke launchers at this low BR prepares players to higher-ranking battlefields and tactic opportunities, make sure to master them.

Machine guns

Usage in battles

The AMX-13 (FL11), in line with most light tanks, shines best as a flanker and scout, due to its almost non-existent armour. Some shots against lower tiers can be bounced off by the sloped upper glacis plate and turret front, but anywhere else will get penetrated with ease. A sub-par gun without APHE ammunition means frontal engagements are mostly out of the question.

Scout and flank, as any other light tank should. The AMX-13 (FL11) cannot stand up to direct assaults from the enemy; it has irrelevant armour, decent speed, a useable gun with lacking depression (especially facing forward), and only 3 crew. The bad reverse speed also makes it unable to retreat behind cover once discovered, so caution in engagements is advised. It is also worth noting that the low velocity and high drop rate of its shells allow the FL11 to engage from behind slopes without having to reveal itself.

Modules

Tier

Mobility

Protection

Firepower

I

Tracks

Parts

Horizontal Drive

II

Suspension

Brake System

FPE

Adjustment of Fire

M61 shot

Airstrike

III

Filters

Crew Replenishment

Elevation Mechanism

Smoke grenade

IV

Transmission

Engine

Artillery Support

Improved optics

Pros and cons

Pros:

Decent penetration

Fairly small

Good mobility

Has smoke launchers

At this BR, poorly aimed shots may bounce off the 40 mm sloped turret

Coaxial MAC 31 MG

Low profile: easy to hide, helps scouting

Unlike most light tanks, impervious to HMG from the front

Cons:

Light armour

Does not have explosive filler in shells

Long Reload

Low velocity cannon: long-range shots are hard to land.

Unstable cannon pitch up when firing, makes it difficult to stay on target

Unstable cannon pitch up when braking, makes it difficult and slow to acquire targets right after stopping

Mediocre gun depression (especially facing forward)

Bad reverse

Bad elevation and no top-mounted MG makes it vulnerable to aircrafts

Turret area is filled with ammo and fuel.

History

Describe the history of the creation and combat usage of the ground vehicle in more detail than in the introduction. If the historical reference turns out to be too big, take it to a separate article, taking a link to the article about the vehicle and adding a block "/ History" (example: https://wiki.warthunder.com/(Vehicle-name)/History) and add a link to it here using the main template. Be sure to reference text and sources by using <ref>, as well as adding them at the end of the article.

Media

Excellent additions to the article would be video guides, screenshots from the game, and photos.

See also

Links to the articles on the War Thunder Wiki that you think will be useful for the reader, for example: